


[Killer!Levi x Soldier!Fem!Reader] A Quiet Place

by Shea_Len



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Dark, Bad Ending, Blood and Violence, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Manipulative Relationship, Masturbation, Mental Health Issues, Mind Games, Modern Era, Murder Mystery, Porn With Plot, Possessive Behavior, Possessive Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin), Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Psychological Horror, Rape/Non-con Elements, Rating: M, Serial Killers, Sexual Abuse, Sexual Violence, Stockholm Syndrome
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-28
Updated: 2020-10-20
Packaged: 2021-01-05 13:48:41
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 5
Words: 22,176
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21209552
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shea_Len/pseuds/Shea_Len
Summary: ***Stoic Reader***It's peacetime in the country Paradis, and the troops were sent back home with high hopes and heavy hearts.Having endured and survived, you return from the battlefield with virtually nowhere to go. Everybody you knew has went and gone, whether forcefully or voluntarily, and now you're alone, searching for a quiet place to call home.A shitty, abandoned, and centuries-old manor is up for sale and you're desperate for anything you can get. Unfortunately, the house comes with a lot more extra baggage than you bargained for...***This is NOT a healthy love relationship! Please, please, PLEASE read tags (as they are updated) and keep an open mind. This is a work of fiction and in no way does it reflect my views as a person or otherwise.***First chapters will be published and edited as I see fit. Rusty with creative writing so I'm getting the hang of things. Chapters might change over time or be scrapped.





	1. First Impressions

**Author's Note:**

> As I've mentioned in the description, this is a very dark and sensitive story, based around mental illness and psychological horror. There will be eventual violence, including mentions of murder and explicit sexual assault. Character personalities will be tweaked according to the situation and may appear OOC. This is NOT a relationship to be romanticized, it is purely fantasy and for those who aren't fans of fluff. 
> 
> The first few chapters will start off slow, but I'll make sure to warn when shit really starts to go down. Read at your own discretion, and PLEASE read the tags, they're important.

Early morning dew covers the overgrown grass in delicate droplets, left over from the rainy night previous. The air is eerily still and unforgivably cold despite the new autumn season approaching from a record hot summer.

Out in the middle of nowhere lays a plantation-style house hidden in an array of decades-old oak trees towering above and around the lot, continuing for acres just outside the city. The skyscrapers of various corporations peak out from the clouds and trees, seemingly so close to be able to make out, but far away enough to make for a two hour drive. The hustle and bustle of the city is loud and lively, but falls mute to the country acreage in the east, whom by contrast is vast in nature and scarce in activity. The house is secluded, hidden from the radar of civilization...

Pink hues from the rising sun dust over the forest in a haze, light bouncing off of the fog and immersing the property, making it appear mysterious to any rare stranger who happens to pass by the old dirt road.  
Just outside, an aged 'FOR SALE' sign, weathered by the elements sits planted adjacent to the mailbox with a large red 'SOLD' slapped onto it less than three days ago. The surname of the previous residents, who must've died generations ago, remain on a rusted plaque screwed crookedly to the pointed gate. That's one of the things you would first replace, you thought, looking at the place just a fortnight ago.

"Looks ancient." You commented, the normal frown embedded in your face somehow finding its way to your words as well. The real estate agent didn't even have to look your way to sense that this appointment was less than promising for a sale. Still, she perked herself up, red shoulder-length hair bouncing as she went to unlock the gate and pull it open- or at least attempted to- when it got stuck in the hardened mud and only managed to wrestle out a meager 6 inches before sheepishly grinning towards you with pleading hazel doe-eyes. You looked at her pointedly with your (e/c) ones, her little office-casual outfit (which consisted of a light gray pencil skirt and blaringly white button-up shirt, thoroughly ironed and pristine) looking uncharacteristic to her unkempt surroundings. You, on the other hand, just about fit the part, wearing heavy black combat boots, dark cargo pants, and a tight fitting plain t-shirt to match. Every part of your form screamed an intimidating authority, though fatigued and shady-looking all the same with arms crossed, back uncomfortably straight, and legs shoulder-width apart. You were like night and day compared to the business woman, who you currently observed trying to stop herself from sinking into the dirt in those obnoxious looking heels.

You scoffed at her before grabbing her forearm and guiding her behind you so you have room to pry open the gate. Easy enough, for you.

"My, Ms. (L/n), you're quite strong!" The redhead exclaimed, following you down the long gravel path that stretched down to the house. You looked back at her, giving the once-over and continuing to lead the way. She was very beautiful: mid-twenties at least; large twinkling eyes framed by long lashes that drew you in; lithe, elegant female form with glowing pale skin and even shinier strawberry locks; and finally, long enough legs to exceed your height of 5'4" by at least 5 inches, give or take. She was everything you kind of wished to be, earning yourself a pang of jealousy when you thought too hard about it. You frowned.

"Military does that to you." You murmured, scaling the steps effortlessly onto the expanse of the porch, water-damaged boards creaking under your feet. You waited for her to delicately climb after you, small feet clacking with each step but not as nearly loud as the strained whine you earned from leaning to your other foot impatiently. Wow, this woman must be as light as a feather. You internally rolled your eyes and added another thing to be insecure about to your mental check list.

"Is that so? Thank you for your service!" She beamed, making you nod wordlessly in response. You were used to the phrase, not only for being overused but also repeatedly digging up memories you'd rather not think about.

The agent, whose name you already forgot not five minutes ago after being introduced, fumbled with her keys to get the padlock open. You took your chance to look down at her ID, noting that her name was 'Ral,' uncaring for her first, as was customary in the military.

"What can you tell me about the property?" You said, stepping in when she held one of the large double doors open for you and sauntered around the dust-caked entrance. An even larger staircase greeted you, leading up to the second floor. Just by glancing up you could see it, the floor plan very open and spacious, despite the fact that all the old furniture and belongings were never excavated. You crinkled your nose, holding a hand over it to guard from sneezing while the women closed the door behind her and followed you further into the house. "Well, it was originally built in 1706 by a noble family of ten- two parents and eight children." She began, watching you as you drug your finger over a decorative ornate coffee table and pulling along a thick layer of debris with it. You cringed and flicked it off, deciding you wouldn't touch anything unless absolutely necessary. "The house was used as a winter family home, so there are multiple fireplaces around the house, namely bedrooms but the biggest is in the living room." Her voice and heels echoed off the hardwood floors after you, watching as you pulled open the large stain-glass doors that led to the area in question. The living room was an absolute mess, with objects strewn about in random places, wilted flowers barely recognizable, and a few dead rodents here and there. Your eyes gazed over the scene in silent disgust, though your face was as still as stone, and paced through the area making sure not to step on anything that resembled a corpse or a valuable. You stopped when you didn't hear the steps of the woman follow you, looking at her questioningly as she stood there awkwardly. "What's wrong?" You ask, turning your body to face her. She seemed deeply uncomfortable by the area. You thought her ill-prepared to come dressed professionally to a dump.

"This is as far as I've ever gone, to be honest, I find it scary." She admitted, looking around the dark space cluttered with who-knows-what. You considered her for a moment before walking over to the long expanse of floor-to-ceiling curtains and tugging them all open, letting plenty of noon light flood into the room. It looked a bit more disgusting and less scary. You raised a brow her. "Better?"

She gave a wary smile and nodded, reluctantly following when you gestured her to accompany you through each subsequent room. She told you about basic things like how the majority of the house is made of wood and despite the porch being dead, the rest of the structures are waterproof due to past inspections, so you wouldn't have to worry about damage. She also explained that while the house virtually has no modern heating system to speak of, they did install lighting and complimentary appliances, since the kitchen itself was already pillaged by the time they discovered the property.

You thought about how much of this shit you'd have to break your back cleaning. Every room seemed to be covered in endless furniture, antique for sure, but that which you cared nothing for. Ral followed, always behind you, reluctantly, and hid when you went to forcefully open ominous-looking places like the closets and shower curtains. You were thorough in your inspection, half expecting to find human bodies stuffed somewhere, half just seeing if you could find something worth any good money. You quickly learned Ral was faint of heart once you arrived outside the basement.

"You don't have to follow me down, just holler at me from the top step." You told her, flipping on the light switch that sparked to life, the LED bulbs spasming and flickering as you trecked down the steps. Surprisingly, this was the only space that seemed to be actually 'renovated,' empty and slathered with concrete. No doubt this is where they installed the electrical system, you concluded. Out of the corner of your eye you spotted a piece of drywall lazily propped up on the wall, a bit of something dark peaking out from the place you were standing. The lights were bright enough to cast a dark shadow, but looking carefully, you knew it wasn't just a lighting issue. You strode over to the board and brushed it out of place, revealing a small wooden secret door, all chained up and locked. The metal looked brittle enough to break, and the surrounding bits of brick and stone really showed the age of the house under the deceivingly fresh concrete. A chill ran down your spine when you thought of what on Earth could be hidden away when the small feminine voice pipped up behind you. "Everything alright?" She asked nervously. "What was in the basement before it was renovated?" You asked, replacing the drywall and sauntering back up the stairs. You turned off the light and closed the door behind you, which whined loudly on its hinges. The young woman avoided your gaze as she spoke, both of you making your way back to the porch in the front. "I'm not really sure, the team who found the house mentioned little."

"There are a lot of hidden spaces around the house that are hard to open. The one in the basement was chained shut. I can't help but think there are..." You stared into her eyes with a deadpan expression, giving her a hawk-like look. "...unholy things residing here." You said carefully, looking back over the expanse of the yard. Your own personal forest if you wanted it. Ral only gave an awkward laugh and quickly made her way down the steps, you leisurely following behind this time. "The house is very old-" ,"Just about three-hundred years" you interjected. "There's no way to gauge for sure what happened here in that time, especially with our limited knowledge of the history."

"I have a feeling you're keeping something from me, so I won't be scared off." She stopped to look at you apologetically, shaking her head. "I wish I could tell you more, but what I said is the truth."  
"Then why is it that the whole house hasn't been cleared out save for the basement? Crew underpaid, lazy, or scared- like you?" You interrogated, once again giving that pointed look and crossing your arms. It didn't really do a whole lot of good to pester the poor thing, considering you were probably going to buy the house anyway. It was dirt cheap and you were dirt poor. This was the only place out of several that matched all of your preferences, and given your situation you didn't have the luxury to sit around for another month until you found another house. You had no other choice, this was it.

"Like I said, the house is scary... That, and I suppose the agency thought it best to leave anything original to the house behind so that the next owner can make all the decisions. You never know if you'll find anything valuable."  
"You catch on quick." A small smirk tugged at your lips as she smiled sweetly at you, both clearly amused. "Still, shitty move on their part." Your snappy attitude back, the women immediately agreed with you, fishing out her copies of the house details. You took the papers and skimmed over them, making sure you had the bare necessities. Plumbing, electrical, and some modern additives. No way in hell were you going to sit your ass on a decrepit toilet seat, probably infected with plague. You made sure to check the faucets for good water. Thankfully, besides the basement, the kitchen and bathrooms had some work. You'll be freezing your ass off though.

"I'll take it." You said after mulling it over. A gasp from the woman made you look up at her expectantly. "O-Oh are you sure?! I didn't expect-" ,"I came here already decided, frankly." You admitted, a bitter undertone as you folded the documents up and shoved them in your pocket.

"I-I mean there's still time to think about it!" She pushed, following you out on the long walk to the gate. You sighed and insisted you didn't have time to waste and you'll be moving in as soon as the paperwork is finished. You exchanged contact information and drove back to the city, ready to regrettably cement your stay in the manor.

~~~~~~~~

_7:35AM, present day._

The silence inside the house was deafening. A few birds chirped outside happily as the sun came up and washed over the land, only to be blocked out by the oaks, casting the majority of the area in shadow. Whatever light did manage to creep its way in shown softly reflecting off the bare back of a young woman, face down on a large sheet of transparent plastic in a heavy slumber. Her smooth (s/c) skin glew with yellow light, and as the minutes passed the rays managed to entangle themselves in (h/l), (h/c) hair. The light was quickly dispelled in the shape of a figure, whom stood ominously still, watching the other role over and revealing her face.

In the deep confines of sleep, long eyelashes fluttered when her eyes would rapidly pace back and forth with each other. Taking deep and slow breaths, her rosy lips opened slightly and abruptly sucked in air when her lungs seemed to stop functioning, repeating every twenty minutes (if one cared to observe). Every feature of her face appeared to be soft and delicate especially, and only, when unconscious. It wasn't until 8AM when her alarm, which was hooked up to a large stereo, blasted out the most obnoxious heavy metal song you could find just above your head. The screaming was so loud the sound pierced the forest, causing any animal in the vicinity to scurry away in fright. The sun's warm touch quickly splayed back onto her face as it was before just in time for (e/c) eyes to snap awake in panic, sitting up and slapping the black box until she found the switch to turn it off.

The room once again was eerily quiet, and the girl sighed, laying back down in the light and shielding her eyes with an arm.

The house was chilly this morning, making your hairs (and embarrassingly, nipples) stand on end. You must've fallen sleep on the floor while painting. You discovered your chest was bare from the ridiculously hot night previous, where you threw it off in a fit because it kept sticking grossly to your body. You wore the shirt with a very short pair of jean-shorts, keeping as much of your skin from overheating as possible (as well as saving your more expensive clothes from the paint). Thankfully you had enough sense to cover your breasts with your shirt when drifting to sleep just in case, cursing when you realized you neglected to close the curtains from any prying eyes. Not that there was anybody around for miles anyway.

You snatched the white t-shirt off the floor and put it on, standing up and observing the progress you've made around you.

The first day, to your dismay, required calling over your brother and best friend to sort out all of the old furniture left behind into three different piles. One, the 'shit' pile, which was obviously for anything nasty and irreplaceable, easily being the largest section of categorization. Two, the 'replace' pile, for anything you could use now until you've got enough money to buy a new version. This was the smallest, only consisting of a few chairs, mirrors, end tables, and laced curtains (that you promptly threw in a tub of bleach to soak over night). The third and last pile was meant for any old documents or artifacts, as well as valuables to be pawned/sold as you saw fit. There were four large totes full when you and your small team scavenged the whole house that you'd have to sift through once painting was finished. That's not including the personal library filled with shelves of books from the floor to the ceiling...

On the second day, you spent it entirely on deep cleaning every surface of the house you could reach, that- you spent doing only with your brother, since your best friend had to be at work all day. The amount of dust and dirt and debris you managed to sweep up disgusted you to no end, most of it giving off funky smells you figured were also from the rat carcasses left behind. Thankfully you had moved all of the furniture you were keeping into a storage unit and didn't bother cleaning all the junk you threw out, making the process of sweeping, mopping, and treating the floors much easier. The tacky looking wallpaper in some of the rooms was already peeling off from the heat, so it was easy to strip them and the glue off, however reaching the high ceilings was a problem you decided to call professional help on (at a very generous veterans discount) after you were done painting the downstairs. Dust seemed to cover every single thing, including the beautiful but excessively large crystal chandelier in the foyer. The cleaners will help you take it down and hopefully reinstall it safely tomorrow.

Having nothing else to do but clean and renovate the house all week helped soothe your troubled mind for some time, though you were so exhausted every step of the way. Today you spent it alone, switching on some music from your speaker and moving from room to room, spreading thick layers of pearly white paint anywhere you could reach first without a ladder for efficiency. With the rising temperature of noon, you opened up a few windows to let the cool breeze in, further helping to dry the paint and cool you off, the house looking more and more modern already. You frowned at the old floorboards in contrast to the fresh white. It bothered you, but you promised the house you would replace the floors with a dark linoleum wood when you could afford it. Right now you were just focused on painting the inside. You were dreading having to power wash and paint the outside later. That, you would definitely hire people for.

By 3PM you were growing increasingly tired; back aching from all the leaning and contorting in uncomfortable positions, your arms and legs on fire from being overworked, and your head throbbing with the heat despite the cool breeze. It was the start of September and the weather just "wasn't getting damn cold enough," making you take your first of many breaks throughout the day.

You opened the heavy wooden double doors, propping them with chairs to let the breeze in. By now, all possible entrances to the house were wide open and unprotected from anything that tried to get inside, but under your hawk-like watch you deemed it okay. Plus, everything would hopefully dry faster.

You huffed and sat on the top step of the porch, taking a water bottle from the ice cooler beside you to drink from. You looked around once your mouth was latched onto the container and nearly choked when you heard a masculine voice pipe up from behind you. "Mind if I join you?"

Your head snapped back to look up at the intruder, and when you finally saw him your first reaction was to create as much distance as you could. Unfortunately your back smacked the porch's wooden handrail not even a foot away from your previous spot. He must've been amused at your fright, because he let out a chuckle followed by a satisfied smirk.

You sputtered, finally finding your words and glared at him with clear distrust. "Who the hell are you?" You barked, standing up to meet his gaze.

He wasn't very tall, reaching just about your own height of 5'4". He had a lithe yet muscular frame that was shone off by the snug fitting long-sleeved shirt he wore, accompanied by dark jeans and shiny black ankle boots. His jet black hair, in an undercut style, was parted to the left side obscuring sharp and piercing gray orbs. Pink lips now with a neutral expression were well taken care of and unchapped, unlike yours which had dried up in a matter of seconds from your anxious nerves. His dark eyebrows were raised up in question, making a stark contrast against pale white skin. He licked his bottom lip thoughtfully before responding, making you aware that he also had very neat, white teeth.

"Well I guess now I'm your new neighbor." He said, voice now rather monotonous, a total one-eighty compared to his demeanor before, although it was just as deep and smooth. It too made your hair stand on end.

"I thought there weren't any houses around here for at least ten miles." You crossed your arms, characteristic frown set in place and tense body still radiating your distrust for the man. "I wouldn't consider that a neighbor."

He seemed to be calculating carefully what he was going to say next, as if constructing an argument to persuade you that his presence here was normal. You watched him mirror your position, arms crossed and leaning on the opposite pillar. His blueish-gray eyes shifted around your face for a moment, you swear you could see the gears turning.

"You must be from the city." He started, voice drawn out very relaxed and casual. "Those few who choose to live in the sticks know when someone new moves in. Doesn't help that your old sign has a big ass red sticker on it."

"Yeah, well that doesn't explain how you ended up sneaking around my porch instead of waiting by the gate like anybody else." You retorted. You didn't trust strangers for shit, let alone men, and you certainly didn't trust the handsome ones. Too many fucked up experiences made you wary of interacting with them. Your suspicion only grew by the minute, any politeness you would've shown him threw out the window by his unconventional greeting.

"And wait hours for you to notice me? I think not." He deadpanned, pushing himself off the pillar and sitting on the first step like you had originally. You stared at his profile from your position, replaying his response over and over. You realized he was right; you had absolutely no clue that he was there. You always prided yourself on being observant but it feels like your senses have dulled since the war. You scoffed and joined him reluctantly, stretching your legs out over the steps in leisure, but never taking your eyes off of him. He didn't look at you for a while until you decided to continue the conversation. "How come you didn't come here the first day I moved in?" You asked, picking your water bottle back up and taking a sip, feeling more thirsty than you did before.

"I don't normally come down this road." He laced his fingers together, elbows resting on his knees as he turned to look into your (e/c) eyes, full attention seemingly devoted to you. You felt your cheeks heat up at the perfectly normal gesture, and quickly averted your gaze to the dirt path leading down the road. "I just so happened to pass by here today so I thought I'd drop in. Honestly, nobody has ever even looked at the piece of shit until now."

"The 'piece of shit'?" You furrowed your brows.

"This house."

"Ugh" you grimaced, looking back over the creaky, damaged floorboards of the porch. The worn out trim, cracked front window, and outdated architecture did make the house look gross. "You're right, it is a piece of shit." You agreed, slight bitter tone making a smirk appear on the raven's face. It disappeared before your eyes met his again. "Then why did you buy it?" He asked, almost perplexed. "Fucking filthy." He added, gesturing to the moss growing above the both of you with his head.

"It's... Quiet." You murmured. "And dirt cheap." You said, looking at him to see if he got the joke. "Fitting." He smiled, making you unconsciously smile back. You caught yourself before it turned toothy, reverting back to your natural bitch face before standing up, picking the cooler off the floor with one hand and dusting your ass off with the other.

He stood up after slowly, as to not startle you again, following you into the house on his own accord. His eyes traced over your body as you walked, now free to roam as they pleased when you weren't aware. He took in the shape of your body, starting from your messy (h/c) braid to your small waist, which was generously displayed to him when you knotted your shirt to keep it from collecting sweat on your lower back. Your hips had a sensual sway to them, and thicker, muscular thighs rounded out your ass perfectly. Your bare feet had been padding through the wood floors with light thumps while the mystery man somehow never made a single sound in his steps. It wasn't until you startlingly caught his reflection in the living room mirror that you noticed he had once again appeared behind you. You dropped the cooler off on the plastic mat before turning around to face him, an angry glare burrowing into his face.

"Sure, just walk in. Isn't like this is private property or anything." You commented sarcastically as he ignored your complaint, busy looking around at what you've currently done to the place. It was bright and open, and the air circulating around the house reduced the fumes of the paint a considerable degree. White was such a plain color, but he thought it suited the walls just fine, making the space look cleaner and more spacious than it is. "Not bad" he commented, the vibrations from his deeper voice reverberating off every possible wall. It made you shutter slightly, goosebumps lining your arms and legs. Being alone with this man was unnerving; he was not only extremely good-looking, but also sneaky, strong, and a bit shady. He reminded you of the men you'd often see your best friend go for in the club, except clubs are public places surrounded by people whereas your house is far from civilization. You acted a bit more carefree as a facade but always kept your eyes on him from here on out- his intrusion making you take his possible threat more seriously.

When he finally _asked_ if he could see the rest of the house (which you thought was strange but complied anyway when you remembered this is what new neighbors always did when visiting for whatever reason), you followed behind him, making sure to never keep your back turned to his front. Watching him move about silently was like seeing yourself inspecting the house with the agent some days ago, noting that he was thorough with his eyes when he thought it too suspicious with his body. The man didn't bother asking you questions you probably didn't know the answer to, so he kept his thoughts to himself, slowly memorizing the layout as you went.

Only once he discovered the second story balcony branching off of the master bedroom did you vocalize your curiosity.

"Is your house similar?"

He thought for a moment, turning back to you with a blank stare you couldn't quite make out. "Yes and no." Was all he said, turning his attention to a tree close to the house on its left side, the branch just meeting the handrail. When he offered no other explanation you scoffed audibly, coming to your own conclusion that based on how he looked, he must be one of those rich men that work and live in the city but own multiple houses in the country. You could almost see the blocky modern architecture, monochrome palette, Japanese rock decorations, and a ditsy blonde leaning on a bright yellow Lamborghini. Must be nice to waste money.

"You got anywhere to be?" You sounded a bit more harsh than you'd meant to, making him raise a brow and cross his shoulders. "What's it to you?" He asked just as harshly, but you ignored it in favor of opening up the glass doors and treading off inside. You kept an eye on him as he followed, his eyes also watching you. It was like you were somehow 'onto' each other, and his suspicion had grown considerably given your silence.

"If you've got nowhere to be then make yourself useful." He looked at the array of tools splayed out on the plastic, set up in an orderly fashion with three empty cans, one freshly opened, and three others sealed. "I don't work for free."

"You have to compensate me for being a creep." You deadpanned, picking up a long roller and giving him a look. You were a bit surprised when he actually started to roll up his sleeves and jean cuffs, carefully unlacing his boots and putting them next to yours in the hall. He wasn't about to go barefoot, though, since he kept his black socks on and marched over with a smug expression. You had to close your mouth before you started catching flies, handing him a smaller brush before he could reach for another roller. "You can do the edges I missed. Shouldn't be a problem for someone of your '_standing_'." You laughed when his amused look took a drastic turn towards annoyance, swiping the brush from your grasp. "You'll regret you said that later." He threatened, but you didn't take it to heart. You watched him saunter off into the dining area to start working while you finished up the living room.

The two of you worked in a peaceful silence, mostly because you didn't want to annoy him further with your music tastes, so you kept the speaker off the remainder of the day. You would sneak glances at him when he bent over to paint, small brush occasionally dipping into the extra tray you gave him. He was surprisingly fast in his efforts and just as neat. While he was wrapping up his room you had only started rolling the last wall of the living room. Watching him set you at a snail's pace, embarrassing to be honest. You had been so caught up in your constant paranoia you neglected your duties, something you were harshly reprimanded for when you were in the military.

The raven walked in, his expression more irritated than anything. "You'll never get this done by yourself, fucking slacker." He took the roller from you earning a whining protest and swapped it for the small brush, you looking at him in disbelief. He reminded you of your first boss, working in a small pizza shop and constantly yapping about your shitty work ethic. You looked down at the brush before moving away from the wall, giving him space to paint. He was truly fast, laying down as much paint as you would have in two layers. You wondered how hard he must've been pressing on the wall, but it looked like he was just used to doing this sort of thing.

The whole bottom floor was done with the man's help, and by evening you were halfway through the top. It was getting late and you were growing tired, but not as much as you would've been doing this alone. He decided he was done for today, having adequately '_compensated_' you, dropping off the tray and roller back downstairs. He watched you refill the tray wordlessly, and when you picked the roller back up he continued to stare.

"What?" You said, switching on all the lights as you both made your way to the front doors. "You're not going to sleep?" He asked, earning a bitter laugh from beside him.

"No, I'm going to pull an all-nighter. Besides, I have trouble sleeping anyway." He just nodded and opened the door, you followed him to the porch as he climbed down the steps and started walking down the dirt trail. "H-Hey!" You called after him loudly, making the male stop in his tracks and turn towards you. You gave him a displeased yet awkward look, furrowed eyebrows glowering after him. "You never told me your name."

"Levi." He went to turn back around before again being interrupted. "'_Levi_' what?" He sighed and rubbed his temple, this woman was growing to be increasingly demanding of him. "Just _Levi_. Yours?"

"(L/n). _Just_ (L/n)." You parroted him sarcastically, smirking when his mouth hung open, promptly closing the door with a rushed "thank you," leaving the male outside, staring longingly at the doors with a small smile on his face. _You have no idea what you're getting into._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not entirely satisfied with this chapter- the first is always the hardest. 😭  
I've just got back into doing some creative writing after literally YEARS, so forgive me for the mediocre quality. This is my first actual fanfic and also my first time writing for AOT/SNK so it'll be a learning experience.
> 
> Feel free to offer any suggestions for plots or characters you want to see coming up! I'd like to hear what you think will truly make this story horrific.
> 
> ***EDIT: I have updated the first chapter to make it a bit longer as I felt it was a little weak, so if you were here before the update there's new content. 😈 I also fixed some wording here and there, nothing major for the first part.


	2. Phantom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A quiet night alone turns into the scariest of your life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Stepping right into the horror MUAHAHAAHHAHAHAHA- *wheeze* 😭  
Since Halloween has passed, I figured I'd make this chapter a bit spooky since the first is rather slow and vanilla. 
> 
> I don't wanna spoil the plot that starts to take shape in this chapter, so for your sake please read the tags.

It's been a week since you've last seen Levi, his handsome face wiggling its way into your thoughts like a phantom at the most mundane of times. When the men came over for the chandelier and ceilings, doing floor treatments, installing tile in the bathrooms, and even doing that pesky outdoor power washing you've been putting off for too long (especially when blasting off that moss he mentioned, noting that he'd probably take pleasure in seeing it gone during his next visit). You almost thought he was a figment of your imagination that you just thought up to accompany you because of the loneliness, if it weren't for the perfectly painted walls surrounding you.

You sat, drinking a steaming cup of hot chocolate, looking around the living room in a soothing silence. It was late, thankfully on a Friday, and you had switched the bright LEDs on in the room, making sure you closed the lace curtains- just in case.

By now, you haven't yet started moving in furniture but you did opt for a blow-up mattress you were too lazy to take up to the master bedroom, seeing as it was warmer downstairs at night and you had spent all your time down in the living room anyways. You glared silently at the totes you dragged from the library, those of which you completely neglected to sort through like you wanted in the first place. After Levi left you had great motivation to finish the painting until the ass crack of dawn and as a result passed out until noon when the servicemen you called banged on the front door to rudely wake you up. From there, everything just kind of _happened_, and you didn't make time to stop and do something so boring.

You gently placed the half empty mug on the floor beside you, uncurling yourself from the sheets and sitting up properly to drag a heavier bin over. _Start with the hardest things, and it'll only get easier at the end. _

You were reluctant to stick your hands in right away, seeing as there was a lot of junk piled up inside haphazardly; silver instruments sticking every which way, pictures thrown in a sloping stack in the corners, and other miscellaneous things your brother and best friend never bothered to actually categorize like you had clearly _suggested. _Sighing, you decided you'd find Eren and (B/n) to nag at them later. This type of shit is what really makes you rip your hair out.

The first thing you pulled out was a gold plated hand mirror, which was quite beautiful even to your standards, with delicate sculpted swirls of flowers and other decorative touches. You peered down at yourself through the cracked shards of glass, the distortion made worse by a thick layer of dust that caked up the surface. You turned the object over to find a faint etching of a message, indicating that this was probably a gift to a young girl. '_For__ art thou fairest and most tender of heart, H.R.'_  
This wasn't the last of the artifacts you found with the same initial, though some had _'T.R.'_ and _'Y.F.'_ You continued scavenging through the different objects, some having inscriptions while most were just initialed fancy-looking everyday utensils. You made sure to place everything silver or gold in it's own pile away from the rest that you'd sell or keep, depending on if it was charming enough for your tastes.

This process of picking up something interesting, wasting precious time inspecting every detail, and sorting was long and arduous, making your back cramp from hunching over too much. You straightened it out of habit, muscle memory from formations coming back to you as if you'd never left the base. You reminded yourself that your squad leader would be furious with you if you kept being a '_fucking slacker'_ and you let out a sigh when Levi's scowl flashed through your mind. This would be a lot easier with him here, or anybody else for that matter. You looked towards the wall where you had watched him bend over to paint the edges longingly- no, don't get the wrong idea. It's not because you missed _him, _it was because you missed how he _worked_ so efficiently, and without complaint. Unlike you. You wondered what he even did for a living. He did look well put-together, and you initially assumed he was wealthy. He'd be great in the military, you thought, maybe he also had experience?

You grunted upon standing and decided you needed some music to get you through this late night session, fetching your phone from its charger in a nearby outlet and connecting it to the speaker it was resting on. Nothing too loud that you found it distracting, but not too relaxing that it would lull you to sleep. You needed concentration and motivation. With such a niche, you only really found one song that would fit the bill and decided to just [play](https://youtu.be/rUuusqy50yk) it on repeat, knowing full well by the time you start snow-balling this project you'd be too focused to comprehend lyrics anyway.

You decided you'd save any pictures until the morning where there was proper lighting to look at everything. After all, this weekend was supposed to be sluggish as hell and you had nothing scheduled until Monday.

By the time you finished sorting all the tangible objects, you were left with just two totes of documents, and a large pile of things to get rid of. The only problem was, with being a paranoid perfectionist, you'd have to look through all the documents to make sure that anything you did get rid of would have some sort of context with it. Last thing you wanted was to read through a love letter that originally belonged to an object that you already sold and honestly it would drive you nuts. Plus, you figured it would be more valuable as a set.

It kind of made you feel dirty, profiting off of possible heirlooms and love affairs that have nothing to do with you but everything to do with those once involved, or maybe even the current living family. Your moral compass was rather neutral, but something in your gut told you that you were being insensitive and needed to do some research about the people before just hacking away their precious belongings. This thought only occured when you were exhausted at 3AM, noting you always got mushy like this and it was a bad habit if you wanted to make progress.

You took a deep breath and stood up from the mattress, moving to a part of the living room that was open (not like you had any furniture anyway). Facing towards the window, your arm reached up to press against your chest while the other curled around it. "One-thousand-one, one-thousand-two, one-thousand-three..." Stretching out every limb as a precaution before going straight into jumping jacks. You were breathing heavier than usual, the feeling of becoming weaker irking you. It's been a while since you had a proper workout, you realized, and inwardly scolded yourself for trying to let go. You kept going with them until you reached your maximum heart rate, and then pushed to continue, just to test your current limits. You started slowing down at one-fifty, beads of sweat rolling down your back and neck. Your record was five-hundred straight just six months ago. You stopped at two-hundred, breathing labored and erratic before dropping on the floor to do push-ups, sit-ups, yuppies, and whatever other exercise you could think of that would give you energy to finish the rest.

Your session lasted an hour and a half, your frustrated and collapsed form sprawled on the bed trying to make out the writing on a worn sheet of paper when holding it to the light above. It didn't seem so important, just a small journal entry from the _'H.R._' girl about her luncheon on the docks with a friend. You placed it down next to her mirror and sifted through the rest, mostly consisting of bills and property taxes, waaaay out of date to even be relevant. You placed them in a throw-out pile and continued on. You found more of _'H.R.'s_ letters and discovered that her name was Historia, though the last name was still a mystery. It seemed she increasingly grew infatuated with a man twice her age, but provided no context. _Gasp! Absolutely scandalous!_ You thought, something the neighbors probably would've said at the time. It made you wince as you also placed that in her own pile.

When you were just about to start on a new stack, you heard a creaking sound resonate from your left, causing you to stop mid-motion and listen. You furrowed your brow, retracting your arm and slowly rising from the bed. You turned off the stereo and stood still. You were wearing sweatpants and a hoodie this time, which before you considered changing because it was making you hot, but now were thankful for once a shiver passed down your spine. You peered down the dark hall with alert (e/c) eyes, steeling yourself as you drew out your pocket knife under your pillow and flipped it open, keeping it tucked behind you in the event a sneak attack would be useful. An overwhelming sense of deja vu hit you when you creeped around the corner, back pressed against the wall, inching silently towards the kitchen. Your heart was pounding so loud you thought it might be heard, waiting with baited breath as another whine came from the right, this time _louder. _Whoever the hell decided they would sneak around your house was really going to fucking die, you silently swore, joke or not.

You crouched now, holding the knife with one hand over the other and slowly leaning, breath held and eyes wide as the kitchen was opened up to your vision. Immediately you spotted the source of the sound- the basement slightly ajar, pitch black in contrast to the blue light from the moon. You knew for a fact you kept that door closed every day this week. The pit of your stomach curled in on itself in screaming protest, but your curiosity and experience told you you had to be brave and investigate no matter what.

Your eyes darted between the basement door and the kitchen island frantically, before you quickly dashed over to the drawer and fished out a small flashlight, turning your head the opposite way towards the descending steps into darkness. _Look at you, (L/n). Scared shitless by a bump in the night._ You furrowed your brow in newfound determination, backing away from the island and standing up in your place. You carefully, _so carefully, _stepped towards the door, one bare foot in front of the other as the only sound you could hear was your heart beating from your weary chest. You slipped through the crack in the door to try and reduce the noise you made, creeping slowly down the stairs. The last step let out a betraying creak, your foot retracting just as fast as it had approached. The basement was pitch black and damp, the air colder than you remembered when you skipped the bottom step and laid both feet on the chilly concrete. You waited for any other sound to come through, and when you heard nothing you flipped on your small flashlight to look around the room. Nothing seemed to be different, the sheen of the washer and dryer glinting from the light. You looked to the opposite wall where the small trapped door was and found it wide open, the drywall that covered it flat on the floor and the chains snapped off. Had you even taken the time to- no. _No. _You completely forgot it existed. Someone, some _thin__g _was definitely down here. And you had _no idea_.

Suddenly, small, delicate scratches could be heard from inside making you flinch and shake uncontrollably, slowly growing to be more violent the longer you stood there in fright. You smacked at the wall to find the switch, fumbling when you realized you were reaching for the wrong side and darted to the wall opposite to switch it on. The scratching sound stopped abruptly, only your shaking breaths audible. You clutched onto the handrail when a strike of loud whipping thunder shook the house slightly.

You didn't want to look, _really_, you _didn't_. Everything in your body told you not to move closer, to just turn around and run up the stairs, board up the basement and buy a new washer-dryer to put in the master bath instead. You would avoid the god-forsaken dungeon into your elderly years and warn your children and grandchildren to stay away. They would get scared from all of your grotesque descriptions and move to the city, and the abandoned house you worked so hard to renovate will start collecting dust and debris when unwelcome thieves pillage the place of your belongings, discovering the unread notes of your soul-sucking experience and disregard it as an old hag's deluded imagination before her untimely death! They would rip the boards from the basement door, expecting to find treasures hidden below, but instead find an old set of antique washer-dryers sitting unused on one side, while the other houses the most horrific sight they've ever set their eyes on.

You yourself didn't know what it was, your eyes glued to the presence twitching on all fours, peering back at you with non-existent features. Honestly, it was too dark to see clearly, you didn't know what your brain was doing, trying so hard to make it out while it stretched a decrepit limb to the light. Flesh, decomposed in hues of green and sickly yellow, black liquid seeping from the surface you only assumed was rotted blood. It sunk its nails into the floor, the scratching making a high pitched, painful sound as it dragged itself closer. Oh, _God_, and the _smell_ made you unconsciously lurch, your gut that screamed to you before tugging at your heartstrings to _run._

Only when its head reared into the light did you shudder badly enough to snap you out of your trance, sending your body into an adrenaline rushed fight or flight mode. You damned yourself for not carrying a shotgun, ditching the knife and flashlight in panic. You sped up the stairs two steps at a time in mere seconds, a loud screeching from the creature close behind encouraging you to sprint faster, knicking your hip on the island and shoulder on the archway clumsily. You slipped on the wood floors when changing your trajectory and hurriedly scrambled up to run straight for the front doors. Your terrified fingers struggled to open the latch and lock, the suffocating presence of the monster towering behind you. You drew frantic, heavy breaths, anxiety through the roof as you felt it draw near. You didn't dare to look back, only pulling open the door with the strongest yank you could muster and sending yourself tumbling from the porch. Your body flew across the steps and directly into the muddy ground, bouncing off of it from the force and speed of the impact until you had rolled a few meters from the house, coming to a skidding stop with your dominant leg digging into the sopping earth. You uncurled your arms from your head you used to protect yourself and shot upright, snapping your attention back towards the wide open doors of the house.

The heavy rain obscured your vision, but the light from the living room silhouetted the creature for a split second as lighting struck. As quickly as you saw it the figure was gone, vanished, like a phantom in the night. You were so terrified you couldn't even bring yourself to let out a scream, instead flopping back down into the mushy dirt under you and closing your eyes to feel the cold rain soaking you up. You let out a choked laugh, arm spread to cover your eyes, stress easing from your tired muscles and erratically beating heart.

The sound of the rain took over your senses as you laid there, breathing in and out steadily and letting the water run over you. A light slushing sound drew your attention to black polished leather, tired (e/c) eyes staring at their own reflection before trailing up to the long legs that towered above them. A pale hand was extended towards you, the bold moonlight making it glow like a beacon amongst all the darkness surrounding you. You lifted your head and took it, timid fingers grazing over his with such gentleness, such care, you thought he must've been an angel and you really did die in _that _house to that _thing. _The warmth of his touch drew your hypothermic body towards him, intrigued stormy gray eyes watching you with that oddly characteristic, emotionless expression. Your chest filled with warmth upon seeing him, as he lifted you off your feet and held you close to his heart. The sight of him was breathtaking; his eyes downcast as he stared at your face, lashes fluttering to blink away the rain. Pursed pink lips dripping and shiny, parted slightly to reveal his perfect teeth. His breaths were warm and even, hitting your own lips and making them tingle. You found yourself grow thirsty again looking at them just as you did on the porch when you first met, only, as he leaned closer to whisper hot breath in your ear, your entire outlook changed.

"You're fucking filthy." He murmured, voice smooth and husky. The vibrations from his chest making you shudder.

"Levi." You deadpanned. Shoving at his toned chest only to be pulled back, your breasts squishing uncomfortably against him. His strong arms that were wrapped around your waist didn't budge, instead pressing you closer the more you struggled to get away. You hadn't noticed it, but he could feel you shaking like a leaf. Though your face was back to its stern, slightly cocky expression, you wreaked of terror. Levi tilted his head, ebony locks of hair now sticking to his forehead as he observed you staring at him. He looked almost dreamily at you, your confusion becoming apparent as your eyes locked with his.

"What?" You barked, furrowing your brows, growing frustrated at his silence.

"Did something happen?" He asked, one hand coming up to stroke your wet hair back behind your ears so he could see your face. Levi watched as a fleeting look of fear passed your gaze, looking away from him and towards the house. The creature appeared to be gone, but part of you knew it was still there, in that basement, waiting for the chance to sink its claws into your flesh. You shivered into the male, his face also turning towards the house. He eyed it sharply, releasing you from his hold and stepping towards the porch. You grabbed at his hand in panic, holding it and tugging him away from his destination. He turned to you questioningly, raising an eyebrow with the corner of his lip moving up to form a smug smirk.

"Scared?" He grinned, pulling away from you and sauntering up the steps, once again inviting himself in.

You urged yourself to stay outside, but being together with Levi as your protector gave you confidence enough to follow after him, your dripping wet form shivering as a cool gust of wind passed you. Levi was slow and cautious, as you had originally been, peaking around the corner, his wet back pressed against the wall. You rested a small hand on his shoulder and leaned close to his ear. "Basement," you whispered, and he nodded silently, signalling for you to stay in the living room. You wanted to protest but he was already gone down the dark hall, his shadow moving across the kitchen floor. The pale light from the basement you left on in your life threatening skirmish reflecting off of the tiles. You waited for a minute, checking all around you in your paranoia to make sure it wasn't lurking in the shadows. When he left you too long to your own thoughts, you called out his name with a brave sounding voice, although you were still shaken.

Your bare feet padding through the dark hallway, you looked to the basement entrance warily. It's been too long since he left. You should go after him.

Looking around the kitchen, you made sure to grab a better weapon than last time and slowly made your way downstairs. You looked in every corner of the room before reaching the bottom of the stairs, but didn't find him. Part of you was angry; you started to wonder if he was messing with you, or if you were crazy, or- or maybe the house really was haunted and that's why people stayed away from it. You shook your head, dismissing the thought. Ghosts don't exist and what you saw was definitely _real_.

"Levi?" You called his name again, this time more demanding than scared, your frying pan at the ready.

You checked behind you, then to the stairs to make sure he wasn't trying to lock you in. All that was left to check was-

You gulped and tip-toed closer to the small door, taking in a deep breath. The smell you originally experienced was replaced with earthy damp and a hint of cologne you recognized as Levi's. You grimaced, peering into the opening but not coming too close. It was still pitch black and you couldn't see a thing. You turned towards the stairs to find your flashlight and pocket knife gone. You blinked. Didn't you leave them there before-

_Scratch... scratching. _The sound made you fall back on your ass from your crouching position and scramble back, raising the pan high above your head. "Levi, you better not be fucking with me!" You called loudly, watching for any movement. You were extremely anxious and irritated, turning your face away when you heard a creaking behind you. Taking the opportunity, a hand shot out and grabbed your ankle, swiftly dragging you into the dark of the cellar. You let out a bloodcurdling scream and swung the pan repeatedly, only to have it snatched from your hands and clattering uselessly to the corner. You resorted to using your fists, throwing them wildly without aiming for any real target, you just hoped you'd hit something hard enough to get away. A pair of calloused hands grabbed you be the wrists ending your futile barrage and pulled you towards him in an embrace, laughing loudly in between hushing you.

"Oh. My. GOD! You should've saw your face!" He bellowed, smiling widely though you couldn't see a thing. You roughly pushed him away from you and turned around, feeling for the exit. When your foot grazed the wood you kicked it open angrily and crawled out as fast as you could. Levi crawled out after you, retrieving the pan as well as the flashlight and pocket knife before closing the door, replacing the drywall.

"I can't believe you!" You yelled, throwing your hands up to emphasize your words, rushing up the stairs. Levi trailed behind you, shutting off the light as he did and closing the basement door with that annoying whine, very likely to haunt you forever.

"Don't be like that- I was just having fun." He smirked, placing the pan on the island and replacing the flashlight. He handed the pocket knife out to you innocently, and you snatched it away only to point it back at him, eyes sharp and threatening. You were increasingly distrustful of him as of late, especially noticing the small things he did that was... Peculiar. You didn't let him know that you knew, but you did. It unnerved you to no end; the fact he somehow knew where you kept your things, or would show up at the most convenient times. How his footsteps never made a single fucking sound. How he effortlessly wrenched his way through your carefully constructed walls. Ordinarily, you'd never even pass a second glance at him if you saw him on the street but somehow he ended up walking straight into your house with little protest, spending hours with you... The fact he was touchy and would stare at you for longer periods of time than acceptable. How he could always calculate your mood and form an appropriate response- just thinking about it sent shivers down your spine. Once you thought you even caught a glimpse of him in your bathroom window. You could _feel_ his gaze, it was almost _tangible_-

"Put the knife down, (L/n)." He carefully said, hands raised as if trying not to spook away prey. The predator took a smooth step forward and you took two back, never taking your eyes off him. You both continued this until your back hit the kitchen wall, halting your retreat. He looked into your eyes, mindful not to appear too threatening, keeping his features neutral and soft. You gasped when he closed in on you, his shadow casting a dark loom over your form. You were about ready to stab him when he snatched the blade with his bare hands, throwing it across the room. The sound of metal hitting the hardwood floor made you jump, Levi's hands lifting up to stroke your cheeks. You looked up at him with glossy eyes, his gaze calculating.

"You're exhausted, cold, and wet. There's nothing in the basement"

"There was! I saw it- that fucking disgusting _thing!_" You argued, pointing towards the door. "It came from that door and _chased _me-"

"Oh yeah? Where is it then?" He asked, looking around mockingly before frowning down at you. "We were down there ourselves. There was _nothing_ in the cellar."

"It was probably hiding-"

"Hah!" He threw up his hands and stepped away. Shaking his head he ventured into the hallway, leaving you trailing behind him awkwardly. You glared holes into his back, watching him move as the cloth stuck and moved to accommodate his muscles. It angered you he didn't take you seriously. Who the hell did he think he was?! Just because you're good-looking doesn't mean you can say whatever you want! He acted like you could even see in that pitch black hell-hole. How would he even know if it wasn't just in the corner staring us down, waiting to pounce?

_You sound ridiculous, and crazy._ You thought. Maybe Levi was right... You were exhausted. It was 5AM. The rain was still pouring, and the house was freezing in the mornings. The perfect combination for a mental freak-out.

Your eyes trailed up his form when he looked around your living room, the splayed out documents on your bed evidence of your all-nighter. You wracked your brain of things to say. You felt guilty for pulling a knife on him, but you couldn't help your suspicions. After you met him you had a whole week to think and speculate. Always in retrospect do you notice things you should have in the moment, and you admit you were a bit afraid of him after the pieces started coming together. He must've sensed it too, because after your encounter he avoided looking at you.

"Why were you outside my house in the rain?" You asked quietly, folding your arms more for warmth than intimidation.

"I heard screaming."

Another red flag, you thought. Looking towards the front doors you recklessly left open, you thought about how you didn't actually make a single noise. Only the creature screamed- not you. Not only that but the rain was so loud you wouldn't have been able to hear anything from the gate. Let alone from where his house must've been, miles away.

You decided not to say anything and nod in agreement. You looked at him uncomfortably until he turned towards you in question.

"I have to take a shower." You said.

"Okay?" He said plainly.

"You're going to stay here?" Your cheeks grew warm with embarrassment.

His smirk came back as he raked his fingers through his hair and leaned against the wall. "I'll keep guard." He said jokingly, but didn't move. You frowned, walking over to a duffle bag by your mattress and pulling out fresh clothes, making sure he wasn't peaking at your undergarments folded on top. You thought for a second when looking at him before fishing out another pair of sweatpants and tossing them behind you. He caught them and looked at you when throwing a towel at his face.

"You're getting water all over the floor, idiot." You grumbled, looking at him pointedly. "There's a bath upstairs." You said, making a beeline for the downstairs bathroom. The both of you wordlessly separated, going to your respective locations. Levi thankfully closed the front doors on his way upstairs. You decided to take a hot shower, a bath would last too long and you didn't want Levi snooping without you to supervise.

You looked at yourself in the mirror, your reflection looked horrid. You realize Levi must've cut himself when ripping the knife away, since he so lovingly rubbed his blood all over your face. You sighed, looking at the mud that caked in your hair and clothes. You threw them off into the hamper and hopped in the shower. Hot water cascaded off your cold skin, warming you up quickly. It gave you the same feeling when Levi embraced you in the rain- _NO, (L/n). Stop thinking about him like that. He's just a shady ass neighbor. _You sighed, scrubbing your bloody knees that scraped on the porch. Small parts of your body started forming bruises from the chase, you looked at your purple ribs distastefully as you rubbed soap over them. The shoulder and hip you hit on the way out was also changing color. Now that the adrenaline was gone you were quite sore and really started to feel tired. Quickly washing the rest of your body and hair, twice over (for good measure), you stepped out of the tub and dried yourself off, slipping on plain black underwear and a loose fitting white shirt that was big enough to be a dress and cover you down to the mid thigh. You brushed your (h/l) (h/c) hair and finished off with your teeth.

Opening the door, steam from the shower escaping into the cooler hall, you peaked your head out to see Levi laying on your bed shirtless and in the sweatpants you gave him, staring at a piece of paper as he brushed his wet hair from his face. _So much for 'no snooping'_ you scoffed. You padded into the living room after shutting off the bathroom light and stood with your hands on your hips expectantly. Levi only pat the space beside him, and you awkwardly crawled in, watching him lose interest in the letter he was reading. _This is wrong. _"What are you doing in my bed?" You asked, snatching the covers from behind him and covering your legs, sitting criss-crossed.

He looked at you the same way he did on the porch a week ago, with devoted attention to your concern and you had to mentally slap yourself before thinking too much into it. "I'm not sleeping on the floor. It's a mess." He said, picking up your divided documents and placing them gently on the floor, keeping them separated. _How thoughtful. _You rolled your eyes and picked the side closest to the edge while he settled into the one next to the wall. He seemed to have no qualms though, settling himself under the covers and turning his face towards the wall as you shut the lights off. This was painfully awkward and weird for you. This entire relationship was fucked up. You didn't even know his last name and here you were, sharing your bed, because he insisted and you just couldn't say no to him. You sighed thinking about it, eyes staring off into the moonlight that splayed across the floor in cool hues of blue. The sound of the rain outside was soothing, but you couldn't stop yourself from thinking about Levi's radiating body heat on your back. Your bed was only a queen, so you both barely had half an arm's length of room between each other. He didn't seem to mind it though, breathing deep and evenly, body lax and head stuffed into your spare pillow. Your thoughts drifted back to the events of the night, paranoia finding you once more as you strained your ears to listen for any creaking, growling, or whatever-the-fuck else. Soon you found that idea to be useless as your eyelids grew heavier every minute, your will to stay awake for your own sake weighed down by the need of your body.

~~~~~~~~

Since it was autumn and soon to be winter, by the time she fell asleep around forty-five minutes after 6AM, the sun was already starting to rise, casting the room in a warm pink glow. Levi waited patiently for her to fall into a deep slumber, remembering that from their first encounter, she was a heavy sleeper. He turned around gently, _carefully_, as to not disturb her in her, his chest facing her side. She was turned over on her back, head facing towards him as he wrapped an arm around her waist and slowly pulled her closer to him. His free hand came up to cup her cheek and trace down her jaw, thumb resting just before her ear, massaging the muscle with light circles. He bent his face down towards the crook of her neck and breathed in her natural scent as deeply as his lungs would allow, making him shudder with excitement. He had been waiting too long to hold her freely in his arms, throughout the week being forced to watch her from outside, but never being this close.

Levi placed soft kisses on her cheek up to her forehead, eyes darting up to the slumped creature staring him down with ferocious beady black eyes and the stench of death. A decaying hand clawed at the pillow the woman's head was laying on, drool seeping into the sheets. Levi scrunched up his face in disgust, piercing gray eyes showing a domineering glare. The creature cowered under his pressuring gaze before the man's handsome features contorted into a sinister smirk, evil aura enough to make the presence tremble. "Back in the basement, Historia."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oooooooff, BIG oof. What do you think happened in this house? 😅


	3. Chapter 3: Fever

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lord Jesus, I've been gone for a LONG TIME. A lot has happened IRL, not only with adulting things but also my disgustingly inconsistent self-esteem. Sometimes I feel like writing, most of the time I don't. 😭
> 
> I recently got a job, and throughout the process I was extremely stressed and didn't have the motivation to do much of anything (going through rejection + plenty of hounding from family). I'm still miserable af at said job but it's necessary for life, as it is. In 2020 I'm trying to better myself, and that's including my productivity. So hopefully we can finish early this year!
> 
> I'm usually not somebody to 'abandon' projects out of nowhere (especially when I told a few of you I would be consistent), so I've been thinking about this fanfic every time I log on and seeing your wonderful comments really make me happy! I read them all and I REALLY appreciate the feedback! I wanted to get back to it ASAP, but ran into a few problems. 
> 
> Though I don't just throw /anything/ together, I at least like to have a general idea (which I did) but I have a bad habit of doing only that and failed to plan out massive plot points to help me write in the long run. I've been pretty spontaneous with this one, just writing whatever comes to mind, but at this stage in the story I really ought to decide what's going to happen because I don't intend to make this longer than 10 chapters at the most. Shit will hit the fan soon, so I've got to get my own shit together and make it happen! 
> 
> I really debated on what I wanted to happen in this chapter. It was important for me to add in certain characters to further the suspense, but at the same time I didn't want to make it too overwhelming. After all, Reader has to have something else going on in her life other than men right?! 😂 
> 
> Anyway, I'm not too happy with this chapter but I have some ideas slowly trickling in, so hopefully this will appease your appetites for a little while longer.

_You've _ _ **got ** _ _to be kidding me._

Another stack of paperwork was slapped onto the top of your current pile, currently flapping around as the weight seemed to be increasing tenfold in your burning arms each passing second.

You were somehow _volunteered _to do assistance in the police department, that of which was run by a very irresponsible, insufferable woman. You glared at her dark head of hair, readjusting the tall brick of papers in your arms before another stack was added on top, effectively blocking your irritated gaze.

"Zoë, this is ridiculous." You barked, head struggling to turn towards the brunette bouncing around to the opposite side of the tacky, disorganized, and messy office, the wobbling stack of papers threatening to topple with each breath. By now your hands were sweaty, your arms were fatigued, and you were especially tired from your current insomnia fits. You were about ready to drop the whole pile and stomp out, if it wasn't for a pair of firm hands on your shoulders to turn you around and guide you out of the room.

"Now, now, (F/n)! Don't be like that! I'm helping you to get working again aren't I?!" She chirped with an impossibly wide grin, steering you down the hall and almost colliding with a nearby officer. "Don't call me that, we're not on a first-name basis." She only cackled and clapped a rough hand on your back, making you stumble forward a few steps. You grimaced, but couldn't do much in terms of directing yourself when you were dead set on not letting these documents fall over. You had no other choice but to let the crazy woman guide you around as she dropped off small stacks at random desks, you trailing behind her as the pile eventually revealed your eyes.

You didn't just dislike her for the hell of it. You've only ever caught glimpses of her in the service when soldiers would be called to cooperate with police in quarantine or evac zones, and each time left a sour taste in your mouth. You liked things... Orderly; neat. You were a strict rule-follower and enforcer. Though you preferred hands-on action, paperwork was never on your complaint list, at least when your higher ups were in charge.   
The other soldiers seemed to open up to her readily due to her clumsy and childish attitude, but that certainly didn't mean you liked the way Hange Zoë ran things; she seemed to be the complete opposite of you actually. Fumbling about, never on time, and especially lacking so much common sense you could throw your head through the wall? Yeah, that _woman. _So there is a reason. But you're only doing this for yourself.

"You know, you don't have to be so formal, this isn't exactly the military you know." She said, leading you over to a copier. You stared at the machine with malice as it pumped out even more papers for you to carry, adding to your suffering. "I'm hardly formal," you remarked, shifting the papers around that started to slide over your chest awkwardly. "Oh so you're conditioned?! Brilliant!" Zoë said, putting the warm stack on your chest and turning around to avoid your piercing eyes.

"More like a habit." A masculine voice called from beside you two, making his way from the cramped row of cubicals with a few cups of steaming hot coffee in a tray. You turned your attention from burning holes in the brunette to the young man closing in on you. His mischievous blueish-green eyes sparkled with amusement under thick brows when they made contact with your tired (e/c) ones, only highlighted by the toothy smirk spread out on his face. Ashy brown bangs bounced around his forehead as he walked, making you role your eyes at his childish mannerism, though he did look sharp as hell in that navy uniform. You would never tell him.

"Jaëger." You said curtly, regarding your best friend coldly before turning forward. You used this term loosely. He was more like a kid that used to pester you every year of high school that you just couldn't get rid of in adult life. He was tolerable, but he always loved teasing you at the most inconvenient times.

"Someone's grumpy today." He smirked, taking a sip from one of the cups slowly as to not burn his tongue. Zoë kept herself occupied with harassing the nearby officers and handing out paperwork, leaving you to trail behind with Jaëger beside you. You huffed as you two came to a stop outside of a more "lavish" office, though it looked to be the same as Detective Zoë's, it had a totally different feel to it. The wood was nicely polished outside and on the door; the handle twinkling in a bright gold color. A black nameplate on the glass read "Commander Erwin Smith."

The male beside you noticed the confused look on your face as you blinked and watched the detective burst through the door with wide, flamboyant arms. "Erwin!" She yelled, her voice making a few workers flinch and cringe. You would've too if your eardrums were still functioning.

You set your tired gaze forward, (e/c) eyes sticking to a head of sleek blond hair and charming blue eyes. The feeling was eerily familiar yet not unpleasant. You couldn't see most of his face due to the paper which annoyed you out of curiosity, though you still lacked the inhibition to just waltz into his office, unlike _somebody. _You awkwardly stood there for a second until Zoë ushered you in and instructed you to place the whole stack on the man's desk.

You gladly rid yourself of the torturous mountain, backing up from the desk and fixing up your shirt. You caught a glimpse of gold moving upwards, your eyes trailing up to meet the face behind the desk. Just as you'd thought; your gut was right to do multiple summersaults when you read his name. Those soft yet stern blue eyes twinkled down at you from his tall frame, bushy brows raising in pleasant surprise. His aura was polite and authoritative, but years being under his command demanded you to stand stick straight and salute with your fist over your heart in greeting, leaving the man with an empty hand.

"Commander, sir-!"

"At ease, Ms. (L/n)." He waved you off, stalking around his desk to get closer. "You're no longer a cadet, remember?"

"Yes, of course..." You said, dropping your arms back to your sides uncomfortably. You might not be a cadet anymore, but after you had dedicated so much of your life to war, you sure as hell still felt like a soldier. It didn't help that your former leader was the same as he always was. The nostalgia brought you back to a darker mindset.

"You two know each other?!" Zoë looked between the two of you as Jaëger silently placed a cup on the commander's desk, earning a nod from the man. The brunette made you a silent promise to the last cup as he excused himself, leaving the three of you alone for whatever business was to be discussed. Smart one; that's why you sorta liked him.

"He led us through the Marleyan war." You said, explaining to her that you were a soldier who miraculously survived throughout, though you didn't mention specifics. Mr. Smith gave you a knowing look, almost sad, but you ignored it in favor of listening to Zoë ramble. Least you wanted was more pity, that quite frankly, you didn't even deserve.

"Well then I'm sure this arrangement will be fitting then!" Zoë said, picking a stapled document from the pile and handing it to you. At the bottom you spotted commander Smith's signature, an empty line adjacent to it. "What is this?" You raised a brow and looked from each pair of eyes for any hints. Both seemed to be excited if looks were anything to go by.

"It's a contract." She stated.

"Elaborate." You deadpanned, staring at her with a dumb look.

"It's a job proposal. Since the war ended we've been needing to build up our forces elsewhere, namely police departments across the country. I've selected multiple candidates, most you will know from your cadet days-"  
You stared at him as he spoke, every once and a while looking down at the fine print to distract yourself. Mr. Smith really hadn't changed. He was considerate, maticulate, and knowledgeable about every person he's ever had under him, deceased or otherwise. He remembered your displeasure with working in groups and being bombarded with anything social and applied that to his recruitment criteria. When you were a soldier he made sure to assign you tasks that involved minimal speaking and a fast pace to keep you busy. Even now, he's using this know-how to convince you to join, and hell- it was persuasive. "-outlined on page two are the job details with other options to choose from; all are in demand so it's your word. Like I said, other veterans will be joining the force so you can expect the department to run smoothly-"

"I accept." You swiped a pen from his desk and quickly scribbled your name at the bottom of the contract, the man slightly taken back by the sudden decision. "But you didn't read the details-"

"I trust you'll give me the most fitting position, sir. Just make sure it involves something cool." Your lips the ghost of a smirk, handing him the documents to look over. To be honest, you really should have double and triple checked the whole thing and obsessed over it, as you definitely would have any other day, but the stress built up over the weekend with the move, your questionable mental state with lack of sleep, and men trouble seemed to make you just the slightest bit carefree.

"Wait a minute- where are you going (F/n)?!" Zoë called after your receding form.

"(L/n), and I'm going home." You stated, making your way to Jaëger's desk for that cup of coffee, eager to get your dose of caffeine and fuck away from this place.

~~~~~~

The tik-tik-ticking of a second hand echoed through the cold empty hall, counting down the last of your remaining brain cells as you tossed and turned in the sheets. Winter was approaching now, making the house as good as a walk-in freezer even though all necessary renovations had been completed some weeks ago. Yet, you couldn't help but feel disgusted at the layer of perspiration over your skin. Your body sure felt hot as hell-

You threw the covers to the other side of the bed and sat up angrily, flipping on the light to your room. It was finally settled upstairs in its proper place, your mattress no longer a shabby retreat sitting smack dap in the middle of the living room. Your eyes glanced over at the clock, then shifted over to the white chiffon curtains blowing gently from the wind. You furrowed your brow at the double French doors that led to the balcony, swinging your legs from the bed and padding over to the opening, grasping the handle with a shaking hand and tugging it shut. As if being insanely paranoid wasn't enough, strange shit has been happening around the house that you cannot even begin to explain.

It first became apparent that something was amiss when you had found your things... Rearranged. A page taken from your sketchbook you had been working on throughout the week; everything on your desk just an inch or two off from where you last put them- or perhaps flipped in orientation; windows or doors constantly unlocked; things... Cleaned, that you certainly hadn't bothered to clean those lazy Monday nights; and missing hygiene products or clothing.

The first conclusion you came up with was that: _It's all in your head, you've just been too tired and forget where you put things._ Weak reasoning, but must be included nonetheless. The second is that _you or friends and family did these things_ (when they'd spend the night) _just without your knowledge._ But the more you thought on it, the more it didn't make sense. You always make sure to be with whomever is visiting at all times. You would have known-... You dreaded your last idea, of course anybody would, but this one in particular sent those familiar shivers down your spine. _A creepy, __crazy-obsessed__ stalker sneaking in when you aren't home and "analyzing" its prey. _You thumped your forehead against the glass and took a deep breath in frustration. You'd have to replace all the locks- again. Install security cameras, AND stock up on ammo. How on Earth could civilian life be more complicated than war?

You took up to your usual routine when insomnia struck, getting down on all fours and working your arms until they felt like jelly. If you weren't satisfied, you'd do squats, crunches, and jumping rope. On nights particularly bad, late night runs or the treadmill tired you out quickly. Tonight, a teeny tiny nagging voice at the back of your head told you you were in danger. _Have to get out, need to get out _it would say. _What are you- crazy? _

Before you knew it you were flying out the front door in all sweats, the ground littered in winter's first snow of the season. The moonlight did well to light your path so you didn't bother bringing electronics with you, opting to involve yourself with nature instead. You could almost hear your bunkmate complaining about how little you'd paid attention to your surroundings and forced you to run without earbuds every time you went exercising together.   
You chuckled to yourself, leaves crunching under the light thumping of your sneakers against the dirt road as you reminisced impactful moments of just a few years passed. A lot you had learned were from people you normally wouldn't give the time of day to. To be honest, you were never a perfect kid growing up.

Always in some sort of trouble; mediocre grades, attitude with teachers, skipping class... But once you had somehow graduated, the daunting realization that you were alone had sent you into a panic. You weren't particularly interested in anything- had no real friends (besides the "Eren" boy who would follow you around school with his own bootlicker friends) and above all, you hadn't had any mentor to set you straight on a good path. You were a disgusting, parasidic teenager who thought she was on the top of the world because she didn't have parents to tell her what to do, but in the end that attitude was nothing but bark. That's why, in your mind, meeting the Commander was a sort of salvation. Time and time again your beliefs were challenged, you met several comrades who taught you sides to humanity that you'd never cared about, and that's the reason you're you today.

You came to a lazy trotting stop at the edge of the forest line, a dirt road running perpendicular from a small farmhouse atop a grassy hill. Between the two were wheat and corn crops, most of them left over from last season and presumably dead. Your heavy breathing mixed with the rustling of leaves gave you a sort of peace you hadn't experienced in some time. If only he were still here to scold you and run alongside you once more.

Your eyes had no point of focus, just admiring the breeze of night. A small orange light from the hill flickered on, catching your attention. You'd thought that maybe the house was abandoned like yours had been, but it appeared that the place had an occupant.

You were certainly the judgemental type- the military couldn't change that- so when you saw the small dot move across the yard to an equally shitty-looking-broken-down car, you decided then and there that you weren't going to come here again and somehow involve yourself with hick neighbors.

You let out a string of coughs, turning around to jog back home and traveling a few paces down the way you came. Were you getting sick? You sure as hell hoped so. That would save you from having to go back and see Zoë again-

"'cuse me, miss?"

You whipped your head to the side in a startle, furrowing your brows at the stranger. Was he the resident at the top of the hill?

Jesus Christ. You metaphorically KO-ed yourself. This old geezer better not start shit. You were already on guard, having not heard his beat-up car approach, which you now recognized as an old Volkswagen, the red paint long since faded from the sun and layers of caked up mud around the rims and back bumper. You kept your face from contorting as to not trigger the stranger, telling yourself you definitely didn't want to see him again. He just... Looked like trouble.

"Name's Kenny. I live up on dat hill over yonder." He gestured, a toothy grin gracing his features. You fully turned to face him, your body several feet away from the road, balled up fists stuffed in your pockets.

"Oh yeah? Need something?" You said nonchalantly, watching the man dig around in his glove compartment for whatever it was he was searching for. He reached out and held a small parcel, neatly wrapped and chic looking; a complete turnaround to whatever he looked like. You stared at him with a bored expression, tilting your head in question. He didn't hesitate to raise his voice in annoyance at your lack of reaction. "Ain't you see I got somethin' for ya?! You dat spooky mansion girl ain't ya?!"

"So what? I don't know you." You replied.

"'So?' My rotten nephew ain't done nothin' but nag me 'bout this. I just happened ta see ya so take it."

You rubbed the bridge of your nose and stomped over to his car window, leaning down but still an arm's length away from the mystery man. Annoyance splayed over your face freely now, 'Kenny' mirroring it.

"I _ain't _want _nothin' _from _nobody." _You mocked, "If your nephew wants to give-"

The small present was thrust into your chest, your hands fumbling to keep it from falling to the ground as the man shut his glove box and started manually rolling up his window. You went to yell profanities at him, but were met with a cloud of dust in your eyes and mouth that made you cough up even more.

"Fucker-" you grimaced, lifting an arm to throw the thing towards his car but thought better of it, looking down at the package and furrowing your brows. It was a pretty black paper tied with a silver bow, much suited to your personal monochrome aesthetic. Whoever his nephew was must've- oh.

You turned the box over and found a small card carefully placed between the ribbon, folded in two and neatly creased. Your eyes stared at it, hesitating to read but once again your curiosity got the better of you. You snatched the slip and opened it up, reading "_I know you'll like it. - Love, Levi" _

You immediately cringed, crumpling up the paper and stuffing everything in your pocket. You stomped off back into the woods, thoughts running through your head at an alarming speed. You didn't know whether you should be furious, confused, or thankful, if not all three. A man who suddenly appears in your life and leaves for long periods of time didn't deserve your attention, so why was he so fixated on you? And why did you guiltily find this shit the least bit attractive?

.....

You stared at the damn thing for god-knows how long, arms crossed over your chest tightly. Just sitting there on your vanity next to the crumbled up note, innocent and mysterious looking.

You thought back to the man you met just some hours ago, the rugged, do-no-good type, something that you had expected to emerge from the farmhouse, but something you hadn't expected to be related to Levi of all people. Kenny was... Simple. Levi, he looked like he came straight from the city. You remembered thinking the same thing when you'd first met, wondering how he lived out in the country when he looked like he made bank. And with that old man? In that small rickety house? It made no sense to you. Something had to be up.

Nagging suspicion stopped you from opening the box, yet you so desperately wanted to see what was inside. By now you were sniffling every few seconds, your sweats thrown off in favor of a tank and shorts to calm your burning skin. You swore you had a fever, and wasting time worrying about the gift was giving you a massive migraine.

You finally decided to hop off the bed, snatching the package and flicking the light back on. You would open it, then go to bed like normal. Maybe take some medicine. At least the curiosity wouldn't be eating away at your conscience.

You gently pulled the silky ribbon apart, the black paper coming apart along with it. This man didn't use tape.

What plopped out was a black velvet box, your assumptions automatically firing off warning signs of flashy expensive jewelry you'd inevitably have to return. Taking a deep breath, you closed your eyes and opened the damned thing, lids slowly lifting to unveil a beautiful, thin and delicate looking white-gold necklace. In the middle held a single clear diamond shaped like a raindrop, but it was surprisingly big and extremely pretty, small embellishings attached it to the chain. It reminded you of your time with Levi in the rain, his white skin and glistening eyes that effortlessly pulled you in. You closed the box tightly and brought rough palms to your eyes, resting your head in your hands. You hated when your bad judgements were correct. So much for sleep.

How the hell are you going to return this?


	4. Dreams

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *** A small warning to those this concerns:  
NSFW chapter!!!! There are quite detailed descriptions of lewd things so if it makes you uncomfortable just know you can skip over. It's only a small part of the chapter but yeah, just in case you needed to hear that--
> 
> This fanfic was dead but now it's risen from the grave with my fickle bouts of inspiration LMAOOOO so if you've been waiting for a long time and ended up forgetting all about this story, I'm so sorry! 😭🙏🏻 
> 
> Not too proud of this part tbh, not really satisfied seeing as it took me so long to write and I ended up straying from my planned plot points AGAIN. Kind of sloppy writing but I hope it lives up to the other chapters so far. I still have a lot to think about but at least I've got some direction now. 😂

Last night, you had a dream.

It all started the same exact way it always does: a gentle touch of a thumb running along your cheekbone, stroking your face with nimble fingers tucked into your hair; the light stream of cool breaths tickling your nose and making you shiver when it grazes over the moist skin of your neck; the rest of your body enveloped in almost oppressive warmth and heavy pressure, though with your eyes closed you can't seem to make out what it is from feel alone. You might not have sight at the moment but the scent you're catching is addicting, making you take deep breaths just to inhale some more of it, imprinting the smell into your memory. The affections afforded to you are foreign from anything you've ever experienced before. The curiosity of your innocence beckons you to slowly come to, lifting heavy eyelids just barely giving you the glimpse of ghost white skin shown by the moonlight. Your eyelashes continuously block your view and you furrow your brows, trying to blink the sleep away and focus on the figure above you. You attempt to lift a hand, but find yours occupied with another's in an iron grip. So you try the other, confused, and can't touch anything other than the bare skin of someone else. Realization comes to you embarrassingly late and your eyes finally shoot open with a small gasp, desperate to reveal who the hell was laying with you.

Each time, unfailing and unnerving, you stare into cold, mysterious gray eyes that effortlessly draw your full attention. Raven hair hangs from his forehead, effectively blocking the moonlight and making his expression more obscure. But he always cocks the same eyebrow in inquisition, tugs the same corner of his lips up in a pretty white smirk. And always, **_always_**, leans down to place a loving kiss on your breath taken lips, all the while staring you down threateningly like a predatory hawk- the rigid coldness of his dangerous glare sent shivers down your spine. You stared into his eyes, trying to see if anything was there, but to you horror, there was nothing but empty blackness and the sight of yourself reflected in them. The love you mistaken to be there vanished into thin air.

It's enough to make your heart race with panic, and so you jolt up with a small scream and place a shaky hand to your heaving chest. "Be still" you weakly tell your heart, crossing your sweating legs to sit more comfortably.

You look over at the clock and see it's 4:05AM and let out a frustrated whine, eyes glancing over to the jewelry boxes piled up on your dresser. Your nightmares have been persistent, and increasingly more disturbing as the days go by. You note that you've gradually been losing sleep. Your symptoms of sickness have been gradually getting worse as well, the scratchiness at your throat beckoning you to gulp down the remaining water in the bottle resting on the bedside table in case you got thirsty. And also- that. The gifts are piling up.

Thoughts of Levi plague you all the time. It's so frequent sometimes you think you see him staring at you from the window, or walking by on the street. You feel uneasy saying his name when a stranger happens to share it, and avoid all things that remind you of him. Only- you cannot escape this house- your own home is saturated with his memory.

You wipe your mouth and lay back down slowly, staring up at the freshly painted white of the ceiling, observing the neatness and care of the painter. With a sigh, you close your eyes to relive that day.

Retrospect always gave you the answers you needed. When you were stuck with a thought, thinking back after the fact and piecing things together put your mind at ease, and since you were no longer under the stressful influence of Levi's sudden appearance or having a shit ton of renovation to complete, you laid in deep thought. Only- he puzzled you the more you tried to make sense of him.

Surely you had no attachment to a stranger. Had he never come out of the blue you wouldn't give him the light of day; maybe just a short fleeting glance or greeting (as his looks are eye-catching) but that is all. So why do you always think of him, and why is he trying to get to you? Unlike Levi, you have no miraculous beauty whatsoever- actually, compared to someone like Miss Ral, you're mediocre at best. She is really pretty. You're somewhere between decent and boarish. You've nothing to offer in the looks department.

You roll your eyes at your insecurity and flip onto your stomach, smooshing a cheek into the pillow and hugging it from underneath. Maybe he felt sorry for you, and your uncharacteristic actions up till this point made you seem desperate. You do recall sharing a bed with him some months back out of pity. You cringed and told yourself you'd definitely kick him out your house next time. He's probably the one who got you sick, recalling that night in the rain. Looking like a lonely bitch: in a big, empty, dark, abandoned mini-mansion, on a stormy night, and seeing strange things you just had to complain to him about. If you were a man and a woman did the same to you, you would feel sorry for her too. That- and he always finds his way around. It's weird.

Which leads you to once again thinking back to the night Levi's uncle gave you that necklace. You certainly didn't expect someone like him to be related to Levi, and that got your mind reeling ever since. What's Levi doing living out in the country? Is he actually poor and you just happened to be judgemental as fuck and assumed he's some rich pompous city asshole? But that's impossible- he could not have gotten you all this jewelry under such circumstances. You had already checked that they were real. And obscenely expensive. Unless he stole them... God, you do not want to be responsible. You don't want to feel like you owe him anything either-

You jumped up and out of bed, circling around and stomping to the bathroom.  
That's it- you want nothing to do with him! Thief or no thief, you don't need to associate yourself with dangerous men! You are going to return these gifts, whether he likes it or not, and you're going to tell him to fuck off! Honestly, you could give a shit less about what people do in their free time, but you don't want to get involved when your boss runs the whole Police Department!

~~~~~~~~~~~

_What the hell am I doing? _

Ah, yes. A very good question. After all, you trudged up here on foot with a bag in your hands, fully intending to return every last gift he had given you and being rid of him, but some 'unforseen circumstances' have prevented you from doing so. Currently, you curse yourself as you stand hidden behind the side of the old house, crouched down to the earthy mud and overgrown weeds surrounding the lot for cover.

Just seconds earlier, as you were about to lift your hand and knock on the flimsy screen door, a voice piped up from inside followed by another familiar one, albiet angry sounding, and heavy footsteps approaching the door told you subconsciously that this was a very bad time for a visit. You had only a couple seconds to duck off the porch and hide, the front door abruptly swinging open and the screen screeching as the men made their way outside.

It was mid-day, the sun was blazing, and you were hidden in the shade. You silently thanked yourself for dressing in bland colors as this gave you some camouflage amongst the dead grass and gray of the paint, but still kept your head under the porch to prevent anyone from seeing you. You tried not to cough from the persistent tickle in your throat, and suddenly damned yourself for wishing to be sick just to get away from Hange.

The first to emerge was a very expressive Levi, wearing a black leather jacket over a plain white t-shirt and blue jeans, black boots to match. They looked very worn but not dirty, unlike his uncle who came out scruffed up and overall messy in a stained wife-beater and torn up ill-fitting jeans, which, were not pulled up adequately, giving you a nice view of his hairy asscrack. You cringed and looked away. Jesus, they didn't even look alike aside from their eyes, no wonder you were surprised Levi lived here.

What really peaked your interest though was the casual mention of someone who sounded an awful lot like you.

"Can't you tell she ain't takin' the bait?" Kenny argued, pointing down at his short nephew. "She ain't as stupid as the others' n' I sure as hell ain't helpin' you get involved with a smartass" he spat, anxiously shifting his weight from one foot to the other. Levi gave him a threatening glare, his arms crossed over his chest. He didn't move a muscle. "Please, you can't do something as simple as a delivery correctly, what makes you think you can persuade anybody, let alone a woman? You sound stupid as fuck" he bit back, sounding very different than how he speaks with you. You've never heard him sound so aggressive and demanding. You swallowed a heavy knot in your throat. _'So, he is two-faced'_ You thought, raising your eyebrow in question. You hoped that woman wasn't you, though Kenny did technically make a delivery to you...

"Then why's it takin' so long genius? She should be gone by now!"

"These things take time. If we're not careful, we'll get caught. You don't want the **_imps_** on your ass again, do you? Just do as I say and follow the plan."

Your eyes were deadset on the men's boots, listening and waiting to see if they'll disperse so you could run on home and think this through. But their feet stayed planted as they were, your expression growing puzzled. You wouldn't dare peek out further to look up at their bodies, as this would reveal your head, so you kept flush to the side and hoped for the best. Only, their voices had stopped too. They had stopped talking, and their feet were suddenly turned towards you. Had you somehow alerted them of your presence?

Levi wordlessly signaled to Kenny with a hand and made his way slowly to the other side of the porch, keeping to the shadow and seemingly out of sight. Kenny checked the opposite side, leaning over to peer around the car and bushes surrounding. They had heard something rustle around, surely a human noise, putting them on high alert. Whoever was watching sure had some nerve-

Levi's piercing gaze darted across the weeds in quick successions, scanning the whole proximity in a matter of seconds and watching for any sudden movements or discolorations. When he didn't find anything, and checked with Kenny wordlessly to confirm, the two trudged down the steps and circled round back, just to be extra sure they weren't being watched.

The rapidly beating heart under those boots had only but a small sliver of light to see by as they passed, laying facedown in the mud underneath. You were hiding _under _the porch, as you had found a small opening in your panic to crawl through and replace just in time for Levi's suspicious gaze to fall in your previous position. The bag of gifts you were laying atop of were now a huge inconvenience, and probably the reason why you got caught in the first place. Luckily the material you chose to carry them in was fabric, so it didn't make any noise itself, but the jewelry boxes inside hitting each other was something you hadn't even thought to account for, let alone deal with this type of situation after so long. You were horribly out of practice. Stealth was not your forte, but right now you wished it was. Because those gray eyes staring at you mid-step back up the porch stairs froze your blood, and you dared not move a muscle to look at him. You could've sworn he heard the shallow breaths you tried your damn hardest to hide, or the rapid beating of your heart that demanded more oxygen you had denied it. You quickly realized that you're bad at staying still, at least, under the gaze of a skilled enemy and with the sorry state your health was in.

Kenny, who had already ascended the stairs, looked curiously at his nephew who had stopped moving with his head down turned at the steps, raising an eyebrow in question. "Musta been one o' those rats again, or Reiner's ugly mutt" he commented, gesturing Levi back inside. He peered into the blackness, his suspicion and curiosity satiated as his gaze finally lifted, steps now traveling across the porch and back into the house. You could hear the booming of their weight shake the objects and structure around you, so you only found it safe to crawl back out once their movement receded further back into the house. You felt like you had been hidden forever, your heart still racing even after you took caution to high tail it out of there as fast as your legs could take you. You just hoped nobody saw you clumsily trip onto your knees twice and almost drop your bag in the process.

~~~~~~~~~~~

The violent splashing of water was constant as you scrubbed your back and hair for the fourth time in a row. You didn't feel any less dirty.

The filthiness of that musky under-porch would surely haunt you indefinitely, moreso because it left not only stains on your most used clothes, but also because you now had gross rashes across your arms and legs, along with the bloody scabs formed when tripping on your knees right after when running your scared ass home. And you were terribly embarrassed and disappointed in yourself.

It was an utter mistake trying to confront him personally. Your ignorance of the situation put you at risk and to even think for a second you had the self confidence to face him was laughable. You're clearly not the woman you used to be; time has changed you to grow soft and easily frightened. You were terribly out of practice, like an ordinary citizen. The newly appointed Police badge that sat on your vanity hadn't yet carried the weight that your Scout badge did. You tugged at your overwashed hair with both hands and leaned your face on your forearms, sniffling your now-stuffed nose and sulking at the event and how far you've fallen from your prime. Rewind to three years before and you would have stood still, banged on that door in a rage, and thrown the bag at his face leaving him with nothing but a "fuck you!" and a courteous middle finger to match. But now, you feel so self conscious, anxious, and downright powerless. And it was all because of Levi.

There's something about him that unnerves you, yet allures you when he's near. He's mysterious, crude, yet also speaks calmly and carefully for the situation. You thought you had those similarities with him while you were in the military, but as with time, people change too. Being alone in this big haunted house made you feel lonelier than ever.

On the way to your bed while drying your hair with a towel, you picked up your phone and scrolled through your text messages until you found your conversation with Jäeger. Clicking on it, you sat on the corner of your bed, squinting at the screen with furrowed brows, reading through the past messages in thought. He was quite annoying, and though you hated to do this, he was also your 'bestest friend,' so you know you had to do it to 'em.

_Hey, you said you were _ _lookin_ _' for a cheap place? _

You laid down from the corner where you sat and rested your phone on your bare breasts, staring back up at the ceiling in wait. Your eyes drifted over to the muddy bag sitting on the chair when you heard a soft **_ding _**go off, turning your attention back to your conversation.

_Y???? U looking 4 a roommate??? ;)))_

You scoffed at his atrocious typing. Suits his personality just fine.

_Yes. When do you get off? _You replied instantly with fast fingers. You saw that he had seen your message and waited patiently as the three dots bounced up and down for a minute. You furrowed your brow in confusion when it stopped and no message came. You decided to wait for him again. Honestly, you had too much patience with him, and mentally took note to bitch about it later.

During this little waiting game you were allowed ample time to stare down at your nude body, the early-afternoon sun rays that slipped through the blinds allowed themselves passage over (s/c) skin. The fleshy mounds sitting atop your ribcage were lazily drooped slightly to either side due to their size and moldability. You took a soft nipple in between your fingers and kneaded the head, watching as it miraculously scrunched up and puckered into hardness. You felt around the areola curiously, your (e/c) eyes drawn to the now wrinkled and rough texture. You were fascinated by the human body's adaptability and responsiveness to touch. You wondered what it was like to have someone suck and bite them like they do in porn. You also wondered what breastfeeding would feel like, and if it gave a different sensation when compared to raunchy acts. Too bad you were (regrettably) a virgin. 

Your hand travelled down over your soft stomach, just grazing the bellybutton before circling around your hip bones. You didn't stop until you felt pubic hair, pausing just for a moment at the touch. You hadn't shaved for a while. You scoffed. Nobody would be seeing it anyway, but...

You sent your hand down further, the middle finger pressing down in between your lips and becoming incased in the flesh. You relished the feeling before finally spreading your legs open to allow more ease of access. Scooting back, you propped yourself up on your pillow and went back to work, with a goal this time. It had also been a while since you got off. You needed this, especially after stressing out so damn much.

You rested your head back and closed your eyes, trying not to think about anything other than your fingers swirling around your now-wet clitoris and your other hand's fingers dipping inside teasingly. You took in long and deep breaths, swallowing every so often when you hit a good spot. Usually you would've been done by now- the female equivalent to a one-pump-dump- as your style had been a rough and fast pace for a quick climax when time was short and you touched yourself regularly. But today, you had all the time you wanted. You would try something different.

You opened your eyes for a second to check yourself slowing the pace, just enough to feel every minute movement of your finger pad, every so often slapping the spot for a new sensation. The edge of your nail drew along the inner labia giving it a tickle, using that to spread yourself for your other fingers to enter more comfortably. Your breathing was more labored the closer you got to your climax, a knot building up in your stomach at the agonizingly slow pace. Your mouth had gotten dry no matter how much you licked your lips, so you chose to bite your bottom lip instead. You had just quickened the speed a little bit. You spread your legs just a little more, sunk down into the bed just a little more-

An abrupt tapping at your front door caused you to jolt up immediately in panic, scrambling out of bed and cursing when stubbing your toe on the way to the bathroom. You washed your hands and threw on a satin bathrobe, not giving a damn about who you were about to greet. They denied you release, you didn't need to look presentable... Should've just never went to answer it, but alas, you skipped down the stairs and padded barefoot up to the large wooden door, swinging it open to reveal the intruder.

If you were dehydrated before, the sight before you completely sucked the soul from your body and any type of wetness that came from it. Shock riddled your body, but you found that your arousal hadn't diminished just yet.

Before you was the man of your dreams and your nightmares, so casually stood there smirking at you within arm's length. You took note that he had showered and changed his clothes from what you saw him wearing earlier today, choosing a more business-casual attire, and he wore that damned cologne...

"What do you want?" You barked, arms folded across your chest and feet shoulder length apart. Your wet (h/l) hair draped over your shoulders, pieces obscuring your face since you didn't bother to brush it. Your satin robe wasn't very modest either, the fabric around the neckline bunching up when you crossed your arms to show just a little more cleavage than necessary, not to mention the short length that graciously revealed your thighs. The cool air from outside hardened your nipples, which was obvious through the fabric. The man's gaze traveled down the these areas, but quickly shot back up when you spoke to him, his smirk suddenly vanishing into a more 'proper' expression.

"What, a neighbor isn't allowed to visit every once in a while?" He quipped, mirroring the woman's stance to her annoyance.

"Why is it that you can visit this often empty-handed but send others to deliver gifts for you?" You bluntly asked, your tone accusatory and stand-off-ish. The tiniest fraction of a second his eyes held surprise before Levi licked his lips and sheepishly looked down to his feet quickly thinking up a response. He looked back up at you through his bangs with a look you couldn't quite decipher, but it made you nervous despite all the courage your sexual frustration granted you at first. You looked away from his eyes and instead focused on his forehead. You couldn't let him intimidate you anymore even if you were a bit vulnerable. Besides, this was the perfect time to seek answers. You didn't know the next time he'd show up out of nowhere.

"I'm a little shy, when it comes to those things..." He said, straightening his back up again but keeping his arms crossed. You hugged yourself tighter and leaned against the doorframe. You didn't really intend on letting him in so this would be a long doorway chat, besides your legs were already a little weak.

"Why did you send so many?" _Okay, I'll give him the benefit of the doubt with that one. But how will he answer my tougher questions? _

"I thought that maybe it'd help get the message across." He shrugged, taking a step forward. You wanted to step back but that would give him space to come inside, so you held your ground and kept your gaze on his wondering one. "And what would that be? That you have a lot of money to waste?" You didn't want to give away that you knew where he lived, instead opting for your previous assumption that he was loaded. You prayed to God that he hadn't actually seen you under his porch this afternoon so your feigned ignorance would seem legitimate. You also wanted to see if he'd lie to you.

Levi's grey eyes were calculating his next move meticulously, staring holes into hers that avoided his. He hadn't intended on her being so straightforward and persistent from the start, his initial goal was to get inside. Everything about her body language screamed defense: her body tucked up and uninviting, the fact that the door was only cracked open enough for her body to fit through, and that she didn't move when he approached further. She avoided his direct eye-contact but never stopped looking at him, distrust radiating from her.

He sighed and took one more step forward so that he was close enough to smell the fragrance of the shampoo from her hair, see the pores on her cheeks and chin, and observe the goosebumps forming on her breasts at his close proximity. Their body heat radiated off each other, and the breath she was holding in mingled with his steady breathing. She was forced to move her eyes up the closer he got, that way he could stare into her eyes like he had wanted to.

"I think you know what they mean." He challenged, slowly closing in on her. The woman stood still, her glare never faltering as he brought his face closer. She must've thought he was full of shit, because as soon as he got close enough she had her hands and knees at the ready to do some damage.

** _Scratch... ScratchscratchscrATCHSCRATCHSCRATCHHH!! _ **

Levi's advancement hesitated for a split second, with (y/n)'s palm on his shoulder ready to push away. She stared into his eyes for a sign that he had heard what she was hearing, and his pause along with that small glint in his eye only confirmed her suspicion. He could not hide it from her anymore. Her features darkened as she went through with pushing him away. Levi stumbled into the handrail with a surprised expression, as if he had made a grave error in accidentally acknowledging the creature when he had previously denied its existence. She was more intuitive than she let on, and though his actions seemed fluid to any onlooker it wasn't enough to fool this one. How could he have made such an amateur mistake?! His gears went back to grinding as he watched her turn her body around, opening the door fully to reveal the thing around the corner.

Unlike before, you didn't bother running away. Instead, you decided to observe the creature while it was in Levi's presence. You _needed _some kind of proof to validate your paranoia, something to conclude what you had been speculating ever since your first encounter with it some months ago.

It disgusted you, with it's sickly corpse being drug around your floor, leaving behind a rotten black residue. You could smell the stench from the door, and though your back was towards Levi you were sure he was scrunching his nose right now. It made you nauseous- you never did get over the smell of death.

It scratched at the floorboards cautiously, when in Levi's proximity, you noted. You looked towards Levi with a blank stare, then, to his horror, stepped inside alone and closed the door for a few seconds. Your back turned to the thing to fake leaving your guard down. It took a moment to respond, but as predicted the creature pounced at you full speed without restraint. You swung the door open again and quickly scrambled out of the way, unfortunately not fast enough. The monster slashed at your arm, causing a large amount of blood spill from the deep wound. You tucked your arm into your chest and applied pressure in a desperate attempt to reduce the bleeding. Your heart was racing from the adrenaline and you hadn't yet felt the injury but more than ever your chest was weld up in an intense anger you could only describe as **rage. **You weren't somebody to overreact let alone express your contempt openly, but the information you had gathered in this fleeting moment was eye-opening to say the least.

The creature screeched when it came into contact with Levi, his body flying off of the porch and skidding through the dirt. You blinked a few times in confusion, watching the man fending off the creature with his arm while the other held it tight by what resembled a neck. You couldn't see his face clearly but he looked furious when he spun and slammed the think into the dirt with force that didn't look human to you. The creature vanished into thin air, the man sitting up and going to stand, dusting himself off as if it was nothing. His face was like carved stone; cold and emotionless.

"What the fuck was that?" He grumbled, glaring down at the arm he used to fend it off with. He had a few scratches on his chest as well, but they weren't nearly as deep as yours when you took the brunt of the damage. You wanted to scream at him, accuse him of being some kind of demon sent from hell that had minions placed in this house to haunt you, but you contained your rage. Taking deep breaths through your nose, you thought of how Erwin would've handled this. _If I expose my cards now, I risk my livelihood with this psycho. _You had to keep your realizations a secret and play into his acting if you wanted to get anywhere with figuring out what the fuck was going on with him. Last thing you wanted was to end up dead by the front door if you said the wrong thing. Maybe you're jumping to some conclusions but- God, the bravery you had to muster to test his reaction was definitely something you couldn't just overlook.

_"_You believe me now? Asshole!" You called, leaning against the door frame once again, the blood now making a mess on your porch. You peered inside to see that the shit on your floor was gone, including the scratches. It was like any physical evidence of it being there had disappeared... But this wound was real. You were certain you weren't crazy, or paranoid for no damn reason!

Your head snapped to the creaking of the porch and your face contorted back into it's angry, distrustful glare. Levi turned on his concerned and frightful persona, trying to feign ignorance to the whole thing but you knew better deep down.

You looked away from his eyes in a grimace, the adrenaline finally starting to lose its effect. You felt cold as hell and knew you lost a lot of blood, the red of your porch speaking for itself. You now found yourself not knowing what to do about Levi, who didn't dare to approach or touch you without permission this time. He stared with a serious look, and waited for you to say something, but nothing came to mind. You felt awkward and cursed, turning towards the door and stumbling inside with your weightless legs struggling to keep you standing. Levi took a step forward in wordless protest.

"GO HOME LEVI!" You yelled, clutching the door with your uninjured hand and slamming it shut in his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kinda angsty... Ayyyyyy


	5. My Name Is...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Back for my annual update lmaoooo. 
> 
> A little backstory to set up the following chapters a bit- especially since there will be a very large shift in the story's atmosphere from here on out. Still thinking of interesting things I can add to the story, and started even reading up on some gothic literature for inspiration. My worst fear is that it will fall flat, so I don't want to rush through. 
> 
> I had originally wanted this story to be finished pretty quickly but it seems like we're in for a bit of a long haul. Feel free to come back in the future when it's finally complete. 😂😭
> 
> P.S.: Recently turned the big 20 this month, and since it's October I might try to type out a Halloween themed chapter or maybe a one shot? 🤔 Don't quote me...

"M-My name is H-Historia R-R-Reiss..."

A head of golden hair hid the little girl's teary eyes from being seen by rows of unenthusiastic onlookers, most of which hadn't even heard what she said because they were too busy fighting over toys.

"M-My name is Historia R-Reiss."

A sliver of a cerulean eye peaked through blonde bangs, catching the gazes of some pre-teen age boys and girls who spoke nothing of her presence. They chose to turn back to their books instead.

"My name is Historia Reiss."

Two glistening blue eyes scanned the class enthusiastically, a shy hand brushing away yellow locks behind a rosey ear. Long lashes bat here and there when she looked at someone interesting, causing them to blush a deeper shade of red than her own.

Historia: daughter of Rod Reiss, blessed with the blood of nobility and immeasurable beauty.

Her father, the figurehead of the family, ran several lucrative businesses throughout Paradis and spent most of his time away from home, though the family was forced to relocate every few years.

Her mother was his mistress, a beautiful blonde woman with blue eyes just like hers; but the ever so constant solemn look on her face and the avoidance of her daughter confused and saddened the girl. She had tried several times to get some sort of interaction with the woman, some sort of love and attention like the children do in her stories, but each time she would flinch back in utter disgust and say the most cruel things. Each time, the little blonde girl would run away crying from her mother with a stinging slap on her cheek.

Historia and the mistress lived separately from the main Reiss family, in either a tiny guest house or a makeshift barn depending on the location. She didn't know her half-siblings and she especially didn't know her father, though she would see them from time to time leaving the house or hosting socialite parties. She was all alone in her secluded areas time and time again even in the empty company of her aging mother, who hadn't even bothered looking at her.

A few years ago, Historia's mother died mysteriously. The girl didn't even shed a tear. Her father, Rod, moved her into the main house and none of the other siblings seemed to acknowledge her. It was no different from the children at school. But to be ignored by those who are supposed to love you hurt more than anything. She, being around seventeen now, decided that she too would pretend like they didn't even exist. She wanted them to feel guilty or to hurt, even if just a little bit.

Hence, the pretty blonde girl sitting under the shade of a large tree with a thick book in her hand, overlooking the white plantation-style manner they recently moved to. A long dirt road surrounded by crisp green grass and continuous several meter tall oak trees cast the area in a soothing shadow, keeping the summer sun from scorching the land. The road was well paved and connected to the main one once it reached the tall black iron gate that surrounded the property.

Blue eyes looked around, observing the new area with curiosity every now and then when she lost focus on her book- some melodramatic romance about a knight and princess that wasn't at all interesting or relatable to her.

The voices of her siblings could be heard some distance away by the house, playing a game she didn't know of, and wasn't invited to. Their mother sat on the porch in a rocking chair, drinking a glass of iced tea and watching the scene before her with a contented look on her face. One of the older girls with black hair sat beside her doing the same, only when her eyes drifted to the blonde girl's curious gaze did the younger girl cower back behind the tree. She grew to hate them, and that neverending look of pity that made her heart pound in anger.

Historia gave a dejected sigh and stood, hugging her book to her chest and walking away further into the woods and away from her _family._

The path was small but easy enough for the thin girl to weave through. Her dress was lightly flowing behind her as she carried her feet quickly at first to gain a distance and only slowing down once she couldn't hear the yelling of her brothers.

Looking around, the forest was dense and vast, filled with a sea of green and orange leaves above and below. She felt secluded, but in a calming way. The tight clutch of her novel loosened to a gentle grip, and for the first time since moving here she allowed herself to take in a deep breath and release the tears that had been building up thus far. She was silent, but the amount she cried was enough to fill a glass to half empty.

"That's a first."

The girl's puffy red eyes shot up, a reactionary flinch sending her back into a pile of crunchy leaves. A small 'oof' escaped her lips from the fall and she had trouble trying to dig herself out of the mess, what, with trying to compose her snotty face and all before finally standing and brushing herself off.

Her gaze landed on a head of dark hair, in the process of bending down to pick up her book from the ground. Pale and calloused hands dusted it off from the dirt and leaves before bending back upwards. Historia shifted her gaze from the back of his head to his face as soon as it was made visible and held back a gasp. The man had striking features, none of which she had witnessed before; neither from her family or classmates. Such dark hair and light skin, paired with a sharp stormy gaze made her shudder unconsciously when his eyes met hers. He was handsome albeit shorter than he had appeared from the ground, but still some inches taller than the girl. His age obviously exceeded her own by some years as the way he carried himself oozed confidence; or moreso a condescending arrogance despite his stature though he was youthful. It was quite intimidating to Historia, who looked the opposite; small, frail, and terribly self conscious, like a little kid again.

She wasn't sure of what to say, the atmosphere having become incredibly awkward. He hadn't offered her book back to her nor did he break eye contact. And she was too busy staring at him and sniffling the last of her snot (much to her embarrassment) before it threatened to leak all over her. Once she looked like she had composed herself adequately did he choose to speak.

"Not everyday I see a beautiful young girl crying in the woods."

That voice again. Such a smooth and deep sound, yet slightly hoarse which gave it a husky quality. His tone was relaxed- lazy even- but held enough punctuation that gave it an air of authority. For a moment Historia thought she was in trouble; like she was about to receive a scolding for her unladylike behavior, running off to a strange place all by herself. But she didn't.

"I thought I was alone..." She admitted, face flush with embarrassment. She brushed long strands of gold hair away from her face and tucked them behind her ear nervously, looking elsewhere. The man only took this time to soak in her beauty shamelessly, and when her shy eyes reluctantly drifted back up, he didn't look away. This only flustered her more.

The raven only broke the contact when raising his hand up to glance at the cover of her book before reaching it out in front of her to take. His eyebrow rose slightly at the title, this nuance only just noticable for the girl to catch. The man seemed to find an infinite amount of ways to make her heart race with shame and embarrassment as opposed to that previous anger she felt from before. A small, shaky hand slowly reached for the other end of the book, eyes downcast as she'd decided she would faint if she witnessed another inquisitive expression of his. As she went to pull the book back, he didn't release it like she had expected.

Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion as she looked back up at him, only this time she was met by a chilling glare. Goosebumps immediately crawled up her spine not once, but trice! His glowering was intense and for a moment Historia's heart stopped from the sudden panic. She could faint any second now!

"I think you forgot to say something." He said, his voice still as steady and calm as before. Almost melodic with a giddy undertone.

"O-Oh-" she stuttered, blue eyes frantically searched his cold grey ones for an answer before realization hit her. "H-How unbecoming of me... T-Thank you for kindly picking this up, I was careless..."

His eyes peered into hers for a moment too long before breaking away, his head turning to reveal an equally as handsome profile. His hand let go of the book and instead took out a small white handkerchief from his black coat that he used to wipe his hands from the dirt. Historia scrambled to catch the book and luckily did not drop it a second time, her knees losing their ability to hold her as his scrutinizing gaze was much too heavy to bear.

The man must've suddenly had a thought, because he turned his back to her and started walking away at a brisk pace. The blonde, in her frightened but curious stupor called out to him in haste, causing the man to halt.

He looked back at her with another glowering look, though there was something else flashing in his eye that he was too far away from her to see.

"I don't believe I caught your name..." She called out meekly, in a shaky but sweet voice.

The man thought for a moment, looking to the side at a singular house just peeking outside of the woods before looking back at the young girl with newfound interest. His expression and demeanor morphed completely in the opposite direction. A small smirk grazed his lips before he turned back and continued walking, a now-clean hand raised in a farewell gesture while the other remained planted inside his pocket.

"Levi... You should return home quickly, _Historia." _

The girl's eyes widened, mouth agape in surprise. This man- _Levi_\- he knew her name?! How?! The girl clutched her book to her chest, watching his briskly receding form a little while longer before turning on her heel to run home.

The sun was already starting to set by the time he left, and when Historia finally crawled into bed it was nightfall. _Just how long had I been talking to him? _She wondered. It was mid-afternoon when she went on her little walk into the woods. Her encounter must've, _had _to have been only a few minutes at the most- yet in the moment it had felt like forever had passed. Even her family had given her strange looks upon her return home during their daily dinner, but said nothing as she quickly ran upstairs and locked herself in her room. She did not care for their judgement tonight as all that occupied her mind was the scary man named Levi. She felt a little shame for losing herself in those stormy, cold eyes and snuggled her face deeper into the warmth of her pillow, hiding the reddening of her face from the world.

Only a silent, sharp gaze laid on her figure for a little too long than what was acceptable.


End file.
